US charges former Air Force officer with spying for Iran
by Caitlin Yilek
| February 13, 2019 11:12 AM
The Department of Justice has charged a former Air Force intelligence specialist with spying on behalf of Iran, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Monica Witt, who served in the Air Force until 2008, when she became a contractor for the Department of Defense, defected to Iran in 2013 after being recruited by the country at conferences.
“We believe that Witt still resides in Iran,†a Justice Department official told reporters Wednesday.
During her time in the Air Force and as a contractor, Witt had access to secret and top secret information, including the names of U.S. intelligence sources and under-cover agents.
The FBI warned Witt in May 2012 that Iranian intelligence services were trying to recruit her. In response to the warning, Witt told the agents if she ever returned to Iran she would decline to provide any information regarding her work for the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, according to the indictment.
Months later, Witt met with members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, telling them she wished to emigrate to Iran. The Iranian government provided her with housing and computer equipment in order to help her spy on behalf of Iran.
The indictment alleges Witt disclosed information about U.S. intelligence officers and aided in their cyber-spying operations against such officers.
As part of its action, the U.S. Treasury has sanctioned two Iran-based organizations — New Horizon Organization and Net Peygard Samavat Company — and several other individuals linked to the two groups.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/u-s-charges-former-air-force-officer-with-spying-for-iran
